Bitter Judgements
by Wolfwind97
Summary: Raimundo was eleven when he became a gang member for the most ruthless gang in Los Angeles. Will he ever get away? Omi, Clay, and Kimiko, along with other friends, are in a serperate gang that protects people. Will they see Raimundo for who he really is or will they judge him for who he is with?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Don't you just hate it when you have a plotline for a story pop into your head? I was shooting a bow when I thought of this... I know, I know, I should update other stories, but this won't quit nagging at me. Stupid plotline... Anyway, this may be a little confusing, but this story has nothing to do with Shen Gong Wu or the abilities the main characters in the show had. This takes place in California later on (my favorite place even though I haven't been there...yet). I know other people have written about things like this, but I want to give it a try. If you have read any of my other stories, you will know what kind of surprises I can pull out of my sleeve... Enjoy, oh and please review, it gets me motivated! **

**(Rio)**

***Raimundo * (Age Eleven)**

My life was what most kids would wish or pray for before they went to bed each night. I had a lot of siblings, my mother and father were happily married, and I had many friends. Living in Rio, most of the people knew each other, so it wasn't that hard to get along with people. I went to school and was pulling good grades; I planned on earning enough money to go to college after I graduated high school. These were my childhood plans; the plans most children have when they're young. However, mine was reasonable. I wasn't going to be an astronaut, a soldier, or even a rich person, but I wanted to make it through my life happy and live like there was no tomorrow. These were my plans until my whole world fell apart.

I walked home from school one day, holding a piece of paper in my hand, a note from my teacher, Mrs. Anderson, praising me for my hard work. When I arrived at my house, I noticed something was wrong. Police cars were parked just outside the yard, on the street, but no lights was flashing. Even though I was smart at the time, my eleven year old brain couldn't define the word coroner. I ran to the house, but a policeman held me back. I watched as they wheeled a body bag through the front door on a gurnery. My heart dropped into my stomach, because I was old enough to know somebody just died in my house. I asked the police officer where my mother, father, and siblings were, but the man didn't answer. I watched the house for a few minutes, but it felt like hours, then my father walked through the front door. He had a look of sheer agony on his face and I ran up to him, managing to escape from the man's grasp. "What's going on?" I asked as I clutched my father's shirt in one hand. "What happened?"

He crouched down until he was eye level with me, "Son. Mommy is leaving us."

I still didn't comprehend it, my brain didn't want to. "When is she coming home?"

A fresh tear dripped from his face, "She's never coming home."

I was too shocked to cry, even though I knew my mother was gone. Even though I knew it was her body I saw in the bag, I didn't want to believe it. It began to rain and I didn't even feel the teacher's note leave my hand, the wind carrying it into a puddle. To me, the rain signified to loss we felt that day, the loss we had experianced. I only shed a few tears, but, eventually, a wall made it's way into my heart, preventing all of my emotions from being felt by my heart. When I eavesdropped on the detectives, I learned my mother had been murdered for an unknown reason; the trail was cold. My life ended right there. I thought, maybe, if the killer was caught, I would be able to avenge my mother; it didn't happen. The whole family was devastated, even me, but I done my best to take care of my siblings while father grieved.

A few months after mother's homicide, my father started to drink. He never swallowed alcohol in the past, but he wanted to drink away his sorrows. Eventually, he became a serious, violent alcoholic. When he would get mad, frustrated, or even confused, one of his sons' would take multiple hits from his fists. I tried to defend my siblings when I could, but most of them were never home. I wanted to support my father and try to get him away from the bottle of poison, so I never left. Eight months after my mothers murder, the unimaginable happened to me. All of my siblings were at their friends' house, but I still stayed with father; he was the only parent I had. The money began to decrease after father lost his job, whatever money he received was spent on some of the strongest alcoholic beverages. One night, father came in with a few other men, probably no older than seventeen. Father grabbed me by my shirt collar and held me out to the men.

One of the men, probably the leader, stated, "We don't need children."

"You can train him, he can be just like you." My father said with a wild look in his eyes. "I can't pay you with money, so I'm going to give my son to you."

I looked up at my father, "What do you mean? I want to stay here!"

He backhanded me in the face, "Shut up, brat!" Then, he turned to the men. "Do whatever you want with him. Make him fight, sell drugs, anything to get him out of my sight!"

The leader stared at me for a moment, then nodded his head at one of his friends, "Grab him." One of the men stepped toward me and grabbed me by the back of my neck. Relying on instinct, I swung my fist, hitting him in the stomach, which only made the men laugh. "He has fighting spirit, we'll take him, but if he dies, it's not my fault."

"Like I said, do whatever you want with him as long as he's out of my sight."My father replied. In that moment, I felt betrayed. The only parent figure in my life gave me to some men I didn't even know. They walked through my front door and shoved me into the backseat of a vehicle. I was able to look at my house one more time before I was sped away.

Tears of betrayal and fear slipped down my face; one of the men smacked me in the back of the head. "Listen, kid. In this gang, there are no tears. You're a nobody just like everyone else in this world other than Boss, you hear?"

I was too afraid to move and was smacked again before I finally nodded my head. The rest of the ride was long, uneventful, and terrifying, for me at least, but I couldn't help but wonder what I done to deserve this. _Why did my father give me up? _

**(Three Years Later)**

**~Los Angeles, California~**

***Clay***

Every city is known for gang violence. Sure, I was a high ranking member in the gang I ran with, but we weren't violent or thugs. We just protected ourselves and certain stores from other gangs. There were low ranking gangs along with the high ranking, but we met somewhere in the middle. There was seven of us: me, Omi, Kimiko, Jermaine, Chloe, Danny, and Sandra. It simply started out as a group of friends being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We saw people being jumped or mugged by other gangs and we intervened. Eventually, it became an addiction. The difference between us and most gangs, we had a set of rules to abide by. We didn't carry weapons or try to maim or kill other people in fights; we didn't fight to kill, just to defend.

One day we were, again, at the wrong place at the wrong time. A large gang entered the store where we were and threated the cashier for the cash in the drawer. Everybody knew this gang, the LAD (short for the Spanish version of The Ruthless Murderers). They were named in Spanish because that was where most of their members came from. Even though they knew English, they mostly spoke in Spanish. However, they were using English this time.

"Give us the money. I know the police are already on their way, but one of my men have just went into the manager's office and retrieved the tapes your cameras are recording into. We'll be out of here as soon as you give us the money. If you don't do what I say, a lot of people will get hurt. Do you understand?" The leader of LAD demanded to the young girl, and I knew it was time for my gang and I to jump in.

"Get out of here, now." Danny, our gang leader, said. Even though Danny was only seventeen, he acted older.

The man looked at him, "Don't interfere. I've heard of your gang before and you're not going to stop us. Nobody can."

"Just get out of here and never come back." Danny replied, a threatening tone in his voice.

The man finally snapped. In a heartbeat, Danny was pinned against the wall with a knife held to his throat. "If anybody moves, he's dead. Pedro, get the money." The other member demanded the cashier for the money, a knife held in front of her. "Don't be messy with it, Pedro. You can't leave you fingerprints anywhere." The man nodded in understanding. In this moment, I lunged at the leader of the rival gang while Jermaine and Omi attacked Pedro. I punched the leader in the face, but he recovered immediately and returned the punch. I was aware he still had a knife, but I continued fighting. A second later, Danny was by my side fighting as well. A few seconds later, a heard a cry of fear and pain. All the fighting stopped and I saw an enemy gang member holding a small child, a knife digging into the child's arm. "Excellent thinking, Marcus."

Marcus nodded, "Let us get out of here with the money and I won't kill this kid."

We weren't in the position to do anything, so we just stood there. However, a second later a punch from behind sent Marcus to the floor. I tried to identify the attacker, but he had his back to me. The attacker stood between the child and Marcus in a fighting stance, as if threatening his fellow gang member to continue. "What do you think you're doing, Raimundo?" Marcus yelled.

"I don't agree with you using a child as a hostage." He turned to his leader, "Were you really going to kill them for money?"

The leader sighed, "Raimundo, you've been in this gang long enough. You should know how we work. Yes I would have killed for the money, I don't care who it is. I know this is new to you and we haven't killed anyone since you became a member, but this is what we do."

"I don't agree with it." Raimundo stated.

"I don't care if you agree with it or not! Just don't get in the f***ing way!" The leader bellowed and walked over to Raimundo, grabbed him by the shirt collar, and slung him into the wall a few feet away. I could hear the breath be knocked out from the boy's lungs and he slumped to the floor, holding his chest. However, this gave the child a chance to return to his mother. The leader walked over to his comrade and picked him up by his neck, slamming him into the wall with every word. "Don't. You. Dare. Defy. My. Orders. Again." He punched the boy in the face before letting go. "When you feel strong enough, you can come back home." The leader walked over to the cashier, who had the money ready, and the whole gang left with the money. All except one. The boy was just rising to his feet and I walked over to him, cautious, but wanting to help.

"You okay?" I asked.

Raimundo glared at me, "Why do you care?"

I shrugged, "I don't know." Then, I held out my hand to help him to his feet.

He smacked my hand away, "I don't need your help! Just leave me alone." Raimundo finally got to his feet, but leaned against the wall painfully. He clenched his jaw and pushed away from the wall, managing to stay balanced. "Do me a favor, see if the kid is alright. I have to get out of here or I'll be arrested for being guilt by association."

"Okay." I said and the boy left. _Why is he apart of that gang? He doesn't seem to be like them. He just protected that child... Is he being forced into that gang? _


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, here's another chapter... I figured you wouldn't want me to ramble with a long author's note, so here we go!**

***Danny***

We all watched as the last LAD gang member left, confused by the member's actions. _If he was apart of that gang, wouldn't he not have cared about the child? _I looked over at the young child, who was shaking but seemed to be alright. I sighed and looked at Clay, "What do you think?"

"They're starting to go back to their old ways, but that teen..." Clay stopped.

I nodded in understanding, "He doesn't belong to them. In fact, I think he's being forced into that gang."

"It would kind of explain the reason why he protected the child, but why hasn't he left the gang yet?" Clay asked.

I shrugged, "Let's not think too deep into this. If we meet them again, we'll worry more about it. Right now, I think we need to get out of here. The manager and cashier will be able to tell the police what happened."

"You're right." Clay stated and my gang gathered and we all left the scene, passing the police on the way. They simply nodded at us, since we were on good terms with them. "Maybe he'll be able to break away from them one day."

***Raimundo***

I don't know why I always went back, but I did. Everytime the Boss threatened me, I always returned. However, I was taught for years to quit the gang is to be put to death. Yet, to me, to go back to the gang was just as bad as dying. As soon as I walked through the door, I was surrounded by the ruthless members. None of them were my friends, only the enemies I couldn't escape from.

"So, you came back like you always have." Boss grinned, "In all honesty, I'm surprised you have survived this long. Most teens your age that came into this gang died within the first year."

I remained silent, looking at the ground, pretending to be ashamed of my actions. The gang members stayed where they were, waiting for the Boss' orders. I knew what was coming and I prepared myself by shutting out all of my emotions.

The Boss continued, "How long will it take for you to realize we're not an ordinary gang? We're the most feared gang in California, yet we have a weakling like you. If you're not strong, people will think we're weak." He stepped back behind the lines of the gang members, "And we cannot show weakness."

At the last word, the members pulled knives out of their pockets and attacked. One pinned my arms behind my back. Another grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, exposing my neck. One of the older gang members touch the knife blade to my neck. The steel against my skin was cold and I closed my eyes, trying to contain the terror inside me. I wanted to fight back, I've always dreamed of fighting back, but I knew I would be killed if I tried. A cut seemed to appear on my stomach magically and another after that. Even though each cut went deeper and became more painful than the last, I held back the tears. Eventually, I was released and I slumped to the floor on my knees, holding my stomach painfully. They began to kick my ribs, until one of them cracked loudly. I barely managed to supress the scream, but I knew if I screamed, the beating would be worse. A kick to the head made my mind go fuzzy and it took a few seconds to realize they had backed off. I was lying on the floor, blood seeping from my wounds, nose, and mouth, too weak and in pain to move.

"You're not going to bleed on the floor all night." I heard the Boss say. "You better get up and go somewhere else."

I knew if I didn't get up right then, things would get worse. I tried to get up, but I only fell back to the floor. A weak cough escaped my lungs and I tried again, still failing.

"I'll give you a reason to not get up." Boss said. A second later, it felt like his foot broke my leg. I cried out painfully, which only made the Boss grab me by the neck, lift my feet off the ground, and slam me on the floor. Precious oxygen and blood flew from my mouth, I couldn't breathe, I was choking on my own blood. Each cough sent a piercing pain through my chest, thanks to my broken ribs. The Boss told me to get up again. When I didn't, he slammed the bottom of his foot into my stomach. The pain was terrible, but I didn't make a sound this time. Instead, I crawled to one knee and managed to stand unsteadily. They shoved me toward the back door and I fell on the floor with each shove, but still managed to get up. I continued to get up because I didn't want to get hurt anymore. Finally, I made it through the back door and heard it shut behind me. Relieved they were going to leave me alone, I collapsed to the wooden porch. Pain seemed to be the only emotion I had, an emotion I wanted to get rid of, but I had no clue how. I coughed weakly, painfully, beads of blood flying from my mouth. It was the worst beating they had inflicted yet and I wasn't sure if I was going to survive. I knew my leg was at least sprained, my ribs broken, my lungs possibly punctured, and possibly had internal bleeding. I couldn't breathe right, each cough seemed to steal the oxygen from my lungs, making me weaker by the second. Eventually, as the night continued, my entire body grew numb and I closed my eyes.

***Pedro***

The morning after the kid's beating, the Boss ordered me to 'check' on him. I opened the door and saw the teen curled up on his side. I shoved the toe of my shoe into his back, "Get up." He didn't stir at all, so I practically kicked him this time. "Get up, now." Still, no response. I crouched down next to him and shook his shoulder, "Get up, kid, quit messing around." Still, no response. That was when I noticed I didn't see him breathing. I walked back into the house to the Boss, "Sir, I think he's dead." Boss followed me out to the back porch along with a few other members.

Boss kicked the teen in the back, and saw there was no response. Finally, he checked his pulse, "He's still alive. Probably won't be for long, though. Take him to the river and put him on the bank. People rarely walk by there, so he'll eventually die."

I picked the teen up and carried him to the only vehicle we had, then threw him into the trunk after putting down multiple blankets so blood wouldn't get on the interior. I shut the trunk hatch and drove away toward the river. After a few minutes in traffic, I reached the river and, after making sure nobody was watching, I abandoned the nearly dead teen there, then drove away, not thinking twice about the teen.

***Kimiko***

The day was new and beautiful, the sun glistening off the river, making the world seem brighter. It was my favorite spot, this river, and I walked along the riverbank nearly every day. However, there was some trash around the water's edge, which saddened and angered me. The river was so peaceful, so how come people didn't take time to recyle their trash instead of throwing it in the river. I glared at a large, white piece of trash while thinking this. As I came closer to the piece of trash, I noticed it move. There was no wind, no way for it to have moved. Cautiously, I walked toward it and grabbed the edge of what appeared to be a blanket. I pulled it back and nearly threw up. Underneath the blanket was a beat up boy. He had blood all over him, his face as white as the clean spots on the sheet. Quickly, I called 911 and hoped they arrived soon enough. Even though I was terrified, I managed to put my hand over the boy's, trying to talk to him. He stirred once and looked at me, his eyes full of pain. "You're going to be okay. An ambulance is on it's way. What is your name? Who did this to you?"

On my hand, he managed to write LAD before passing out again.

**A/N: So, do you think Rai's going to live or die? What's going to happen next?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The power went out just before I managed to save this chapter, resulting in the loss of the enitre chapter. However, here we go again. Thanks for the support!**

***Clay***

We all went to the hospital as soon as Kimiko called us. From the way she sounded, she was freaking out and I couldn't blame her.

"How bad do you think he is?" I asked Danny, who had a serious look on his face.

He shook his head, "From the way Kimiko sounded, he's probably close to death if he's not there already. The LAD don't take things lightly and I figure Raimundo will be lucky to make it."

"What if he does make it? Will he be able to leave the LAD?" I asked.

Again, he shook his head, "Raimundo belongs to them. If he leaves, they'll simply find him and kill him."

Finally, we made it to the hospital parking lot. Every one of us burst through the double doors and met Kimiko. Her face was ghostly pale and she was shivering, but it wasn't from the cold corridor. Danny hugged her comfortingly before holding her out at arms length. "What happened?" He asked her gently.

"I was just walking and found him beside the river." She stated after taking a deep breath, "God, I don't know how he's still alive." Only then did I notice there was blood on her shirt and hands.

Luckily, Danny noticed this, too. "Go wash your hands and try to clear your mind. We'll stay right here until you get back. Okay?"

Kimiko looked at her hands, flinched at the sight, then ran to the nearest bathroom. None of us knew what to do and I realized everybody didn't know Raimundo. Well, none of us _knew _him, but he seemed to be a nice guy running with the wrong crowd. _Is there anything we can do to get him away from LAD?_

***Kimiko***

I washed the blood away from my hands and stared at the red liquid mixing with the cool water. Never before had I seen somebody so sick, bloody, weak, and pale. I knew as soon as I saw him, he was nearly dead. However, I done the right thing by calling an ambulance and I even knew who nearly killed him. The LAD. I turned off the faucet and walked back to the others. "Danny, we have to do something about LAD. We can't let them do something like this again, can we?"

Danny sighed, "Listen. Raimundo is apart of _their _gang, not _ours_. There's no way we can force him to come into our gang, besides, the LAD will target him and most likely try to kill him. To them, if you leave, you're as good as dead."

"You made it out, though." I stated.

He paused and bowed his head, "Yeah. I made it out of there alive, but they still target us. Luck allowed me to leave, that's all. I figure they just want to use Raimundo for a punching bag to remind other members to not leave. That's what they were using me for." His anger began to rise and he turned his back on us, not saying anything else.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "We all know what you went through, Danny. But... if you saw him near death, you would remember your situation and how you escaped. You would help him."

"I want to help, Kimiko. I just don't know if I can. In the end, it's all Raimundo's choice, if he even makes it though this." Danny replied and sat down at the far end of the room, away from all of us.

**(Three Hours Later)**

I saw Raimundo's doctor emerge from the Emergency Room and he walked over to me. Everyone rose to their feet and stood behind me, waiting for the news. "Are you here for Raimundo?" The doctor asked.

Every one of us nodded.

He shook our hands, "I'm Dr. Thomas. As for your friend Raimundo, he had internal bleeding, but we found the source and immediately stopped it. Some of his ribs were broken and a lung was punctured, but he should be fine after he rests for a while. May I ask how this happened?"

I told him how I found him and who done it. Dr. Thomas went rigid when I mentioned the LAD. "I wish I knew how to help, but the LAD is a feared gang throughout California. I'm afriad, other than reporting this to the police, there is nothing I can do." He smiled, "Your friend is lucky. It could have been a lot worse."

"When will he be released?" Danny asked.

The doctor thought for a moment, "Well... Look, I'll let you go in and see him, try to wake him up if you can. He'll be in pain, but that's to be expected. While you're doing that, I'll discuss with more experienced doctors and see what they think about his release. It all depends on the patient."

We all hesitated, not really wanting to see somebody we didn't know a lot about. However, we followed the doctor to the room where Raimundo was and walked through the door.

"I'm not supposed to let all of you in here, but I'll only be gone a few minutes, so I don't see the harm." Dr. Thomas stated before leaving the room.

The first thing I noticed were the machines attached to the injured teen. A tube was sticking out of his mouth and IV's pumped medicine into his body. I took a step forward, again, again, until I reached the bedside. He was still pale and sickly-looking, but he no longer seemed to be at death's door. I looked at the others, wondering how we should attempt to wake him up or if we even wanted to.

Clay began talking, "Hey, Raimundo. You gotta wake up."

A machine beeped, but there was not other sound.

I carefully rested my hand on his bare shoulder, faintly aware of the boy not wearing his shirt. As soon as I touched him, Raimundo opened his eyes. He looked at us then slowly moved his hand. Gently, weakly, he used the palm of my hand as a paper and used his finger to invisibly write _'Who are you?'_.

I introduced everyone, including myself, and he wrote on my hand again. _What happened?_

Shocked, I told the others then looked at Raimundo, "You don't remember?"

He thought for a moment then slowly shook his head and wrote on my hand _'It's a big blur.'_.

I sighed, "You'll remember with time."

He barely grinned and wrote on my hand _'I'm not very patient.'_.

Somehow, I managed to smile. After everything Raimundo has been through, he may have a sense of humor.

The doctor came in, "Ah, I see you managed to wake him. Are you in any pain?" Dr. Thomas asked Raimundo.

Raimundo shook his head slowly and he pointed at the tube in his mouth.

Dr. Thomas shook his head, "That has to stay in for a few more days." After hearing this, Raimundo glared at him. "Don't give me that look, kid. If I take that tube out, your lung will completely collapse. Just be a bit patient." Raimundo barely sighed and admitted defeat. "Depending on your condition, we'll let you out of here in three and a half weeks."

Raimundo's eyes widened in surprise and he wrote on my hand _'3 weeks?! Too long!'_.

I barely held backa giggle and told the doctor what he said, making him laugh. "Trust me, kid, if I let you out earlier than that, you'll be begging to come back."

The look in Raimundo's eyes clearly stated he doubted it, which only made the doctor laugh more. Dr. Thomas turned to us, "You can come back and see him later this evening, right now we're going to give him something to go to sleep." Raimundo glared again as the nurse shot more medicine through his IV, but he was soon asleep and we followed the doctor out of the room. "I've tried to contact any family members, but from the looks of it he has none."

"No relatives at all?" Omi asked.

The doctor shook his head, "None. After he gets out of here, it's hard to tell where he'll end up."

**(Twenty Days Later)**

***Raimundo***

I remembered everything that happened to me beginning with the death of my mother, my father becoming the monster I saw him as, and the injuries I sustained from staying with the LAD. Even though I dreamed of leaving, I knew it was impossible. I am their property and there is nothing that will change that fact. I became their property when my father gave me to them all those years ago. How I managed to survive will always remain a mystery. There was a knock on my door and Kimiko, Clay, and Danny walked through the door. The boys came first to make sure I was decent. Over the few days I was aware of everything (remember, I was doped up on painkillers for a while) the three teenagers had become my acquaintances. It didn't feel right to say friends yet and it was too early to know if they were going to ditch me after I get released from the hospital.

"Hey, how are you?" Kimiko asked gently.

I smiled, "I'm getting better every day, thanks." My voice was scratchy after having the tube down my throat for a few days, but I was just glad I could talk and breathe. Slowly, I sat up in the hospital bed, careful to not stretch or bump against the railing. My stomach still had stitches and my ribs were wrapped up, both still hurt, but not unbearably so.

They sat down in chairs and looked at the floor, then at me.

After doing this for five minutes, I sighed. "What's on your mind?"

Danny cleared his throat, "Raimundo, do you have anywhere to go after you leave here?"

I thought for a moment and a terrifying thought filled my mind. The LAD was the only home I had, the only place I knew. It was the dreaded home I always returned to, no matter what happened.

When I didn't say anything, Kimiko replied, "You were planning on going back to them, right?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it immediately.

"How can you think that after what they done to you?" Clay asked, surprised.

I sighed, "I... There isn't anywhere else I can go. The LAD... I've been with them for years, since I was a little kid..."

"They nearly killed you, how can you even think of going back?" Kimiko stated.

"Are you crazy?" Danny asked.

I put my head in my hands, "Look, I'm not going back to them. No way in Hell am I going back to them."

Clay asked, "Then where are you going to stay?"

I remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Danny sighed, "Look, after talking with everybody, we came to an agreement. You can stay with us and become one of our gang members or you can stay with us temporarily until you find another place to stay. However, if you betray us, we'll have nothing to do with you. If you decide to return to the LAD, there's no way we can help you. Do you understand?"

I was too shocked to even nod my head, "Wait a minute... You're going to let me join your gang even though I'm still, technically, a LAD member?"

Danny shrugged, "After they beat you, they probably no longer see you as a member."

I looked at the three of them, shocked at Danny's words. "Okay, I'll become a member of your gang."

The three of them smiled and rose to their feet. "The doctor said you can leave if you feel up to it. Of course, you'll still be on painkillers, but they can be prescribed to you."

I jumped at the chance to leave, "Yeah I'm ready!" Then, something dawned on me, "Wait... who is paying for all of this?"

"My father." Kimiko stated, "He owns a large gaming company and he's offerred to pay for everything."

Gratitude swelled in my chest, "Thanks."

Clay and Danny went to find Dr. Thomas, just leaving me and Kimiko in the room. "Kimiko?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

She looked at me, "Yeah?"

"Thanks. You know, for finding me." I stated.

She hung her head, "I almost ran away that day. If I had, you probably would have died."

I stared at her for a minute and realized she was crying. Carefully, I rose from the bed and put a hand on her shoulder, "You found me and that's all that matters."

Kimiko looked at me, smiled, and wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks and filled her eyes. "What if I didn't?"

"You did, though. Look, I know I would have died if you hadn't came when you did, but... I don't know..." I stopped talking to think.

Kimiko said, "You would feel content?"

I shook my head, "No. I'll never feel content until I actually stand up against the Boss and the rest of the LAD. It'll come one day, I just hope I'll be ready when that day comes."

She smiled, "You will and the rest of our gang will support you until the end."

I smiled back at her. _If you try to help me, you'll probably get hurt. I don't want any of you to get hurt, not like I did._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here we go... Warning: there is a little bit of curse words in this.**

_**"A warning to the people,**_

_**The good and the evil,**_

_**This is war."**_

_**-This Is War by Thirty Seconds To Mars**_

***Danny***

After Raimundo was released from the hospital, he said he was well enough to walk, so we did. His injuries were still bothering him, but he managed to not show the dull pain of his wounds. Him and Kimiko talked the entire way to the house about everything from favorite music artists to video games and they seemed to be having a nice conversation together. Clay and I remained silent for a little way, then he asked me what I was thinking about.

I glanced over at him, "I'm thinking about telling him the story."

"Oh..." Clay replied, nodding his head. "Well, he'll be able to understand what you went through, I mean, he was their member, too."

I sighed, "I hope so."

"You formed our gang, Danny. We've accepted your past and I have a feeling Raimundo will, too." Clay stated reassuringly. "When are you going to tell him?"

I thought for a moment, "The sooner, the better. After we get home and he meets everyone, I'll tell him."

Clay nodded in agreement, "Just don't worry too much about it."

_How can I not? Even I can't live down what I done. I can't put my past behind me and move on... _I sighed and walked ahead of the others, lost in my thoughts. _The others accepted me after they saw I wasn't a bad person, but will Raimundo? Will he turn his back on us? What all has he been through? What has he been forced to do for the LAD? _I looked up and saw the house was growing nearer and I walked straight to the sidewalk. The house was white with burgandy shutters, two-stories, and could fit all of us. I opened up the gate and looked back at the others, then at Raimundo. "Welcome home." I lead them inside and the others greeted us. However, I could sense the tension in the air as the others eyed Raimundo with suspicion. "Guys, you know Raimundo. Raimundo, this is Omi, Jermaine, Chloe, and Sandra." They nodded at Raimundo, who nodded back. Then, Kimiko and Clay gave him the tour of the house and the others still remained tense. "Calm down. He's hurt, it's not like he's going to kill you in your sleep."

Jermaine asked, "How can we trust him? His 'friends' beat him up for a reason."

I glared at him, "You'll never understand what it's like to be a LAD member. They'll beat anybody up for no particular reason. They force you join their gang and threaten you if you try to leave. I barely managed to get away from them and I'm still their target after three years." Not looking any of them in the eyes, I walked away.

***Raimundo***

I went outside, in the backyard, and laid down to stare at the night sky. The wind blew a little, but it warm, comforting, and peaceful. I closed my eyes and thought about my new home and friends, well, some friends. I knew it would take some time before they all trusted me. I heard the door opened and I saw Danny walking over to me. He sat down on the grass next to me and I sat up, too. "Look, I need to talk to you aboust something and I need you to listen, to understand me." He looked over at me, "Can you do that?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

He sighed, "Three years ago, my family died in a fire and I was left alone. None of my other relatives would adopt me and I didn't want to go to a foster home, so I ran away to live on the streets. Weeks passed and I realized nobody really noticed me, but I was tired and hungry. I fell asleep in an alley one night and was jumped by two people. I put up a fight, but they were too strong and I was taken to a house. That's where I met Boss."

Raimundo's eyes widened, "You're the guy that left..."

I nodded, "They made me join their gang and threatened me with death if I ever tried to live. I done their dirty work, stealing, the little things. Then, those little things grew into big things. They went out one night and jumped a man walking on the street, probably going home after a late shift at work. They beat him up badly and gave me a knife, telling me to slit his throat. I panicked and ran, trying to find anybody to help the businessman. Boss just killed the man and came after me. I fought as best as I could and managed to get away, but not unharmed." He lifted his shirt a bit and I saw a scar at his ribs, "They shot me before I got away. I remember running, then waking up in the hospital hooked to all kinds of machines. The bullet had ricocheted off my ribs and went through my back. When I was released, I learned the LAD was still after me. They tried to kill me three times after that. Finally, I formed a group and we fight everytime we run into a gang like the LAD. Our gang has no name, it was formed because of my mistakes, if you wish to leave, I'm not making you stay." He looked at the ground, pain from his past shining in his downcast eyes.

I looked at the sky again and decided I would be honest with him, since he was honest with me. "When I was eleven, I lived in Rio de Janeiro with my siblings and parents. I walked home from school and saw policemen at my house and a coroner. My mother was murdered and the killer was never caught. My father became an alcoholic and began to not care for my brothers and I, he'd even hit us, but I'd normally be the one to get beat. Eventually, my siblings went to their friends houses and was hardly ever home. One night, the LAD members came into the house wanting money my dad had spent on alcohol. My dad gave me to them instead. Boss and the others took me away and brought me here as one of their gang members. They just used me for their dirty work and a human punching bag. When I was old enough to actually fight back, things started to get worse. That day in the store when they were threatening to kill that child, that was the first time they had ever done anything like that while I was with them. Well, you know what happened. When I went back to them, they were waiting on me. I was beaten and left on the back porch to die. The next morning, I remember being put in the trunk of the car and dropped by the river." I stopped to let him process what I told him, "The only time I was left alone was when I'd crawl onto the roof at night and look at the stars. I understand what you went through, Danny, I really do and I know you are aware of the risks of allowing me to stay here. As soon as I am well enough, I'll leve and never bother you or your friends again."

Danny shook his head, "You don't have to leave. From here on out, you're a member of our gang, if you wish to be so. The LAD will come after you, they're still coming after me, but your survival won't be easily forgiven."

"I know, I'm sorry I brought this onto everyone." I stated.

He shrugged, "It was already brought onto us."

***Boss***

"Dammit, find him and kill him! I don't care what you do to kill him, just make sure the job is done!" I yelled at the others and they ran to complete their mission. "Whatever happens, Raimundo Pedrosa must not live."

A few hours later, Pedro returned, "Boss, Raimundo is a member of Danny's gang."

I was not surprised, "Well, things just got a bit interesting. Find the others, we have to plan our next move. We're going to try to kill two birds with one stone."

**(Three Days Later)**

***Kimiko***

It was a quiet, peaceful night, at least, that's how it began. I walked with Chloe and Sandra after going grocery shopping, we were just talking about girl stuff, like boys, etc. We took a shortcut back to the house and we were nearly there, but we were jumped. Sandra screamed in surprise and was tackled moments later along with the rest of us. I swung my fist at the person holding me down, but it was useless, they were too strong and just bound my hands. "If you scream again, we'll kill you." I heard a man tell Sandra, who whimpered a bit, but did not scream. I heard another man grunt painfully, "The bitch kneed me in the balls!" If it was any other time, I would have laughed. I heard Chloe run away and two men pursued her. I tried to move, but the man just tightened his grip, so I just prayed my friend would get away and get the others. The two men came back, breathless, with a struggling Chloe in their arms. My hope faded and despair filled my heart.

"They're feisty, but they'll serve the purpose. The more feistier they are, the better." A man laughed. Immediately, I knew who these people were. Rapiers. They kidnapped girls and raped them before killing them. However, nobody could prove they done it, it was only rumors. However, I now knew it was true. Two of them dragged me to my feet and I began to fight, but they simply retrained my wrists and legs with barbed wire to cut me everytime I moved. I didn't show them I was afraid, if I did, they would just take advantage of it. I closed my eyes when they moved close to my face and I ignored their insults. I could hear Chloe yelling at her captors, but they smacked her across the face. However, she refused to shut up. Eventually, it became a big argument on how to get her to shut up without knocking her our since none of the threats were working.

A voice rang out over the rest, "Let them go, now!"

I opened my eyes and sighed in relief, "Danny." His eyes glowed with rage and the rest of the gang stood behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" My captor asked.

Danny took a step forward, "I'll tell you one more time. Let them go."

"Or what?" The man closest to Danny sneered.

In that moment, the sneer was knocked off the man's face. Danny's punch seemed to be invisible before it connected with the man's jaw. The Rapiers cursed and three of them pulled knives from their pockets. I watched as two of them charged at Danny, who swung his fists multiple times, each connecting. Finally, it was a full scale fight between the two gangs. The Rapiers outnumbered my gang, but, one by one, the enemy gang began to fall. My captor glared at me and I saw his face for the first time, it was the main leader of the Rapiers. He pulled a long knife from the inside of his jacket and raised it in the air, preparing to bring it down on my head. I couldn't close my eyes, I was too afraid. I heard Danny yell, "Kimiko!" I heard a string of punches connect and a fierce battle cry nearing me as the knife began it's decent. A blur past me and the Rapier leader was tackled to the ground. A violent struggle began over the knife. Everybody stopped fighting and watched. The Rapier leader was trying to stab the pinned down Danny with the knife as Danny used every ounce of his strength to keep the weapon away. I looked at the others and saw Danny was among them. _Then who? _With a yell, the Rapier leader was shoved away and I saw Raimundo rise to his feet, his fists clenched and eyes burning with unmatched rage. What confused me was he waited for the enemy to get up. _Why would he do that? _

"Bastard!" The Rapier leader yelled and charged, the knife swinging toward Raimundo, who did not move.

"Get out of the way!" I screamed at him, trying to get him to move. I didn't want to see him die, but as the knife went crashing toward him, I believed I would soon see blood. The knife cut through the empty air and I realized Raimundo was no longer there. Instead, he was behind the Rapier leader with the enemy's arm twisted around their back. The knife clattered to the ground and Raimundo shoved the man into the cement.

Raimundo growled, "If you _ever _do something like this again, you'll wish I had killed you today. If I hear of anyone being raped, I'll find you and kill you. Do you understand?" The man did not answer, so Raimundo twisted his arm further and the defeated man said he understood. Raimundo let the man's arm go and backed away from him.

The Rapier leader rose to his feet, "This isn't over." He left with the other gang members following him, Raimundo watched until they were gone. Then, he turned to me, grabbed the knife from the ground and began to walk toward me . _What is he doing? _I held my breath as the knife came closer, then I felt the barbed wire loosen. I picked the barbs out of my wrists while Raimundo cut the wire from my legs. The same was happening to Chloe and Sandra. I sighed in relief and leaned my head against the brick wall for a minute, trying to calm down and process what had just happened.

"Why?" I asked Raimundo as he sat down beside me.

"Hmm?"

I looked at him, "Why did you-"

He smiled, "I owed you. Besides, I couldn't let any of you get hurt if I could prevent it." After saying this, he rose to his feet and offered me his hand. "Come on, let's get back to the house."

I nodded and grabbed his hand, letting him help me up. Then, I let go of his hand and walked to the others. Chloe asked Danny, "How did you find us?"

He pointed at Raimundo, "He heard somebody scream, told us, and we came to see what was happening."

Chloe and Sandra looked at Raimundo and nodded their heads. Raimundo nodded back. We all went back to the house, silent regardless of what just happened. I went in the bathroom and checked my wounds, but there were only a few bruises. I took a shower in order to attempt to wash the memories away. When I exited the bathroom, I went to where I knew Raimundo would be. I walked in the backyard and sat down beside him. He didn't say anything to me, nor I to him. Instead, I hugged him. "Thank you."

After a few seconds of hesitation, he hugged me back. "Anytime." In that moment, I didn't want to let him go. Even though he was a former member of the LAD, I learned not all people in enemy gangs were cruel people. There were those few that were forced to do the gang's dirty work, and Raimundo was just another victim. Him and Danny were alike in many ways, but my feelings for Raimundo was on a whole different level than the ones I had for Danny, a boy I saw as my brother for so many years.

**A/N: Hmmm... I didn't exactly plan for there to be a fight in this one, but it just popped up and said 'hello'. So, can a message pop up on my hotmail that says 'review'?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown.**

**"You say you know just who I am,**

**You can't imagine,**

**What waits for you across the line.**

**You thought you had me.**

**But I'm still here standing,**

**And I'm tired of backing down."**

**-"Anthem for the Underdog" by 12 Stones**

**(Three Weeks Later)**

***Clay***

After the Rapiers' attack, everything became peaceful, well, as peaceful as it could get. We fought whenever rival gangs threatened innocent civilians, but that was completely normal. Kimiko, Chloe, and Sandra was shocked at being attacked, but eventually returned to normal. Omi, Jermaine, and I were the same as usual, if not more alert after the Rapiers attacked. Danny and Raimundo were practically alike, and Raimundo had earned everyone's trust. He was officially accepted into the gang now, which was a huge relief. Once you were familiar with the kid, he's actually funny. I couldn't really understand how Rai managed to get into the LAD, but I knew I would never ask. The only person who will ever truly understand is Danny, a former LAD member that managed to escape with his life. When I first joined the gang, I didn't know Danny was an LAD member. As our gang began to grow, I started to notice Danny fought differently than the rest of us, he was under control. When I questioned him, he pushed it aside at first. Then, he finally told me. I don't know exactly what he told everyone else, even Raimundo, but I do know one thing. If Danny is a good person exiled from the LAD, then Rai may be like him.

We were all walking around the streets, just talking and joking like every other day. There had been no threats from other gangs, all was peaceful. Nobody was really paying attention to where we were walking. To us, as long as we were within our own territory, we were fine. Needless to say, we were wrong. There was a distant sound of fighting up ahead and we all ran toward the comotion. We all ran as fast as we could, but Raimundo and Danny were even faster. Finally, we turned around a corner and saw a full scale gang fight occurring. "Should we help?" Raimundo asked.

Danny laughed, "Nah, they have this one in the bag."

"The good gang or the bad one?" Raimundo asked.

"The good." Danny replied.

Punches could be heard hitting skin, finally somebody yelled, "Knife!" Instantly, the good gang's movements changed and a single person stood in front of the one with the knife. The knife swung toward the person's throat, but the person just blocked the attack with another knife of his own.

"If you continue, I think we both know who will win. Get your gang and leave this territory." The good gang member, Robert, stated coldly.

The enemy spat, "We weren't looking for your gang. Step aside and let us fight with Danny's gang."

"Why do you want to fight my gang?" Danny asked and stepped forward to stand beside the good gang member.

The enemy glared, "Let's just say it would be a message from Boss to both you and Pedrosa. Which one of you is Pedrosa?" Raimundo tensed beside me and nervously took a step forward. The enemy smiled, "Boss told me to give you this as a reminder of the LAD." He handed over a folded piece of paper, I could already see there was some writing on it. Raimundo opened the paper and read the words, then turned it over. His eyes widened and the paper trembled in his hands. He remained frozen for a few seconds, then glared at the enemy with tear-filled eyes.

One word full of hate was released, "Where?"

The enemy smiled, "Where he always is."

Instantly, Raimundo turned and ran in the opposite direction. "Rai! Wait, what's the matter?" I yelled. Briefly, I saw Raimundo drop the paper as he continued running. Danny quickly went and snatched up the paper, read it, then looked at the other side.

Danny cursed, "Robert, come with me! The rest of you stay here!" We nodded in understanding and watched as the two gang leaders ran after Raimundo.

***Danny***

As soon as I saw what was on the paper, I knew what happened. Robert ran alongside me as we pursued Raimundo. "Danny, what's going on?" Robert asked, not even out of breath. Robert was one of my best friends, he showed me how to survive on the streets and form a gang. We fought for the same reasons, but he had control of one side of the town, while my gang held the other. I could trust him with my life, but there was no time to tell him the story.

"We have to get Raimundo. He's going to the LAD, he won't make it out of there alive again." I stated.

Robert questioned, "Again? He was apart of their gang before?"

"Yeah, he protected a child not too long ago from one of the LAD members. The Boss didn't agree with what Raimundo done, so they beat him and dumped him on a riverbank. One of my members found him close to death. I'm pretty sure you can figure out the rest." I stated, still running.

"So, you let him become a gang member. Okay, I get that. But what was on the paper?" Robert asked.

I shook my head, "Robert, I trust you completely, but I don't think I can tell you this one. If anything, you'll find out."

He nodded, "Alright, I understand."

"Raimundo! Stop!" I yelled, but he continued to run. "It won't change anything! Going in there blind won't help! They're expecting you! They'll just kill you!" Regardless of what I said, Raimundo continued to run. Only then did I notice the car pull up beside him. "Raimundo!" Three people jumped out of the car, minus the driver, and one carried a metal bat. Raimundo turned and saw his attackers. The metal bat hit Raimundo in the shoulder and I watched as my friend fought against his attackers. However, he was tired from running and was hit in the head. They dragged his unconscious form into the car and it pulled away just as we came to it. Robert and I cursed. "Come on." I stated and we ran back toward our gangs, trying to figure out how to save Raimundo without getting anybody killed.

***Raimundo***

I woke up with a busting headache, but I didn't move. I felt myself moving and I realized I was in the floorboard of a car with my wrists tied behind my back. "You're awake, huh? You've only been out for twenty minutes." A voice said. The sound of it made my heart freeze and paralyzed my limbs. I tried to glare at the Boss, but I could only see his feet. He stomped on my ribs, "It would have been a lot easier if you had died that day. It would save me the trouble of having to hunt you down." I couldn't speak, memories from when they nearly killed me resurfaced. Finally, the car stopped, "Welcome to your final resting place, kid." I heard the car doors open and I was dragged from the car by my feet, my back hitting asphalt with a _thud_. Somebody grabbed me by my shirt collar and lifted me from the ground. I found myself face to face with the Boss. "How long did you think you could stay hidden?" He punched me in the face, splitting my lip and making my nose bleed. My eyes filled with reflex tears. "You're pathetic. Tell me, did you get my message?"

At the mention of that, a new fire enraged me. I kicked the Boss in the balls, making him let go. He coughed painfully and ordered the others, "Get him." I kicked at the closest one coming toward me, then the next, but I was too slow to hit the third person, who tackled me to the ground. I fell on my stomach and the enemy sat on my back, digging a knife into my shoulder. I clenched my teeth painfully and tried to throw my attacker off, but found I couldn't with my arms tied behind my back.

I watched the Boss get up. "You're the one that's pathetic." I told him through the pain. "Are you afraid of me? Is that why you have my hands tied behind my back? Are you afraid to give me a chance to fight?" I was answered with the knife digging deeper into my shoulder.

The Boss smiled, "Take his shirt off, it's time to show him how ruthless we can be."

I felt the knife leace my shoulder and rip my shirt away from my arms as the back of it was completely cut away. I began to struggle, but the others held me down. The cold steel a blade pressed against my shoulder blades. The first long cut was made from the far side of my shoulder to the other. I didn't make a sound. The sharp blade sliced through the same cut, deeper this time and I began to struggle, but it only made the pain worse. The knife was pulled from my skin and it retraced the same line again, this time even deeper. I could feel the knife quivering under the force applied to it. An agonizing scream escaped my lungs and I began to struggle again. However, the knife just dug deeper. Then, another cut was made and I felt my skin, meat, muscle, and nerves being sliced apart. I don't remember when I stopped screaming and struggling. Eventually, all I could was go through wave after wave of agony with tears streaming down my face. After what seemed like hours, I thankfully passed out.

I woke up again and noticed I didn't feel the blade cutting into my body. My eyes barely opened and I could hear the Boss and his members talking, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. I moved my hand and found I was no longer restrained. When I tried to move my arm, another wave of agony erupted. I managed to remain silent and I weakly lifted my head to see where I was. I was in the same spot, blood pooling around me, the cold air making the blood on my back feel frozen and the tear trails on my face dry. I tried to crawl away, but a gasp escaped my lips as the dried blood tore against my wounds. "Well, well, well, you're not dead yet." I heard the Boss' taunting voice and footsteps coming toward me.

I was tired of feeling the pain, I was tired of being targeted. "Please," I whispered. "Just end it, please."

The Boss laughed, "Don't worry, we will, but not until I think it's time." He stepped on my back and twisted his foot from left to right, making his shoe dig into the wounds. I screamed as I felt the wounds burst open again and more precious blood pouring down my side. For the first time, I noticed I was shaking from both bloodloss and cold, by mainly from terror. I didn't want to die, but I didn't want to live in constant pain, so I settled with one thing. "Kill me. I can't take this anymore. I can't..." A sob tried to escape, but blood only trickled in a steady stream from my mouth. "Please-"

They all laughed, but I didn't care what they thought of me. I was reduced to a petty person begging for death. I was tired and just wanted to die. "Why?" I asked.

The Boss grabbed my head and turned it to face him, "Go on."

"Why did you kill my mom?" I whispered. "She- didn't do anything..."

The Boss growled and picked me up by my neck. I was too weak to life my arms in an attempt to get him to let go. "Your dad didn't pay us on time. That was his punishment. You see, we threatened your dad once. If he didn't pay us money, we would make him suffer before killing him. So, we started with your mom and now you. Don't worry, you'll see your mommy very soon." The Boss taunted and he dropped me back on the asphalt. "However, this is only the first phase of my plan." He grabbed his cell phone and talked to the person on the other line, "Tell the Rapiers to deliver the message." The Boss closed the phone and motioned for his members, "Let's go." They all began to get in the car.

I hoped they would have killed me, but I just watched as the car drove away. Tears of defeat, shame, and pain traveled down my face as I lay in my own puddle of spreading blood. I closed my eyes for what seemed like hours, then I heard somebody talking to me. I opened my eyes and saw my friends and more unknown people from the good gang I saw fighting earlier. A hand gently touched my shoulder, but it was still painful. I saw Danny was the one with his hand on my shoulder ordering somebody to take off their jacket. "They killed her." I whispered weakly.

"I know, they'll pay for it, but we need to get you home." Danny stated in a brotherly tone.

Another wave of agony made my vision go black for a second, "I can't take it anymore."

Kimiko replied from my other side, "You're going to be okay, Rai. Just hang on. An abulance is on it's way."

"I can't." I said, my voice a little under a whisper. Then, I remembered the day when Kimiko saved my life. It was funny how I was nearly reliving that moment. I felt the jacket press against the open wounds and I tried to ignore the pain. "LAD has... something else planned." I felt Kimiko run her fingers through my hair in a comforting gesture and that was the last thing I felt as everything faded into darkness.

"Raimundo." A voice stated and my eyes snapped open. A harsh light hurt my eyes and I closed them again, then opened them once again once they adjusted. I looked to my left. The person asked, "How are you feeling?"

I was confused, "Kimiko?" Then I noticed I was lying on my back, but there was no pain. "Wait, what happened?"

"You went to confront the Boss, but you were jumped by the Rapiers and knocked out. Danny and Robert managed to get you out of there." She stated.

Other than a major headache, I felt fine. _So, it was a nightmare? _I sighed in relief, then thought of my mother again. The LAD killed her. I wanted revenge. Danny and Robert walked in, "Glad to see you're awake." Danny stated.

"Yeah, me too." I noticed their bruises, "I'm sorry you guys had to bail me out of there."

Robert shrugged, "Don't worry about it, kid. Anytime there's a fight, count me in."

"Kimiko, Robert, I need to talk to Raimundo for a second." Danny said and the other two nodded, then left the room. He turned toward me, "Rai, I know what happened. I'm sorry you had to find out like that, but you really don't need to charge the LAD without a plan."

I sighed and sat up, "They killed my mother, Danny. How was I supposed to react? In fact, I still want to go kill them now."

He shook his head, "They're planning something, Rai. We have no clue what it is, but we can assume it's not good."

I thought back to the nightmare, "Have you talked about the LAD's plans before?"

"What do you mean?"

I contemplated on whether to tell him, then decided. "I had a nightmare before I woke up. The LAD were in it and I remember saying they were planning something else." The memory of the nightmare was too vivid, so I pushed it away.

Danny didn't try to guess what I dreamed about. In a way, I think he knew. "Yeah, we talked about it a little bit before you woke up. Maybe what we said just entered your nightmare."

"Yeah." I agreed. _I mean, what else could it be?_

Danny motioned for me, "Come on. We have to start planning."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: It's been a while, don't kill me. I've just been extremely busy and stressed lately.**

***Danny***

Thunder raged in the distance while I stood outside. Even though I knew we had to come up with some sort of plan, I didn't want to risk the lives of my friends. However, regardless of any route we went, I knew the fact that my friends would be hurt was inevitable. The LAD would continue to torture every one of us until we were consumed by insanity or, even worse, we would die by their hand.

As a former member of LAD, I was always told to leave the gang was death. For a while now that death sentence has lingered over my head, mocking me. I was tired of it, I had enough. It was time to fight back. Since Raimundo came into this gang, things began to look up a little, because everyone's spirit was lifted, even though the LAD was out for our blood. Somehow, the young teen managed to pull the gang back together just before it completely fell apart.

However, now the threat from LAD was doubled. Both Raimundo and I were former LAD memebers that had escaped from the ruthless gang with our lives barely intact. I was reminded of all the times I spent trying to escape, all the times I fought for my life against them, all the pain and suffering they caused me. It was time to take all the pain to them. Everybody surely agreed, after all, they were tired of the LAD, too. Yet, we had to be careful. One wrong move, one mistake, and everyone here, everyone in this small family, would be slain without a second thought.

"Deep in thought, eh, Danny?" Robert asked as he stopped next to me.

I nodded, "I'm just trying to think of a way I can get everyone out of this alive."

"You'll need more people for one." My friend supplied.

"And where can I get the people from?" I asked.

Robert smiled and held out his arms, "Let's see. You have a friend who is the leader of another gang that can tag along with you. All you need to do is ask."

I sighed, "I can't ask that of you and the others, Robert."

"Of course you can! After all, friends do anything for each other, right?" He asked.

"They don't run into battles when it's not their own." I replied, not really wanting to get him involved. "It's our problem not yours."

Robert shook his head, "You do realize that you can't win this on your own, right?"

I wanted to argue with him, but I kept my mouth shut. He was right, we couldn't win this on our own. I sighed, "I don't know, Robert. I just know that we can't keep running from them."

"Is the whole gang running from them or is it just you?" Robert asked.

I looked at him, "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not afraid of them!"

Robert gestured to where the others were, "Anytime you give the signal, they'll fight. You can see that they're ready for whatever happens next. They're just waiting on you. Question is, will you give them the signal to make a stand and fight."

I became frustrated at my own weakness and my inability to hide it. "Yeah, I'm scared of the LAD, terrified actually. But I'm not afraid of what they'll do to me, I'm afraid of what they'll do to them. To my friends. Don't you understand that? If I take them to face the LAD head on, how many do you think will survive? If they die, their blood will be on my hands. How can I handle that? Do you really think I could watch my friends be slaughtered the whole time thinking I forced them to their death? What am I supposed to do?" I noticed I was yelling when I finished, but I didn't care.

Robert didn't seem stunned, "Just remember what I said, kid. I know how you are, after all, you learned how to survive from experience and what I taught you. I can't imagine you would back down from this." He smacked my shoulder, a gesture of friendship and comfort, then he gathered his gang and left.

I looked at my friends. I didn't want to take them to their death, what kind of pereson would I be if I done that? Briefly, I remembered what Robert said. _"Anytime you give the signal, they'll fight. You can see that they're ready for whatever happens next. They're just waiting on you. Question is, will you give them the signal to make a stand and fight?"_

I noticed it began to rain. That statement seemed to be repeated right into my ear. I knew my friends would be by my side, they would always be with me. However, I couldn't let them risk their life to end something I began. As their leader, I knew what I had to do. As their leader, I was going to protect them until the end. I turned my back on the gang and walked onto the street, heading for the one place I knew I had to go. On my way, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and typed a message before hitting send.

***Kimiko***

After we said our goodbyes to Robert and his gang, we all just tried to relax the best we could. However, it was difficult considering the LAD were out to kill us. Somehow, though, we all managed to find comfort during the cruel time. A burst of thunder made the house shake and the electricity flicker. I grabbed a flahlight from the storage room and kept it by my side in case the power went out.

As I was about to leave the storage room, Jermaine stopped me. "Have you seen Danny?"

I shook my head, "He was outside talking to Robert earlier, but I haven't seen him since."

"We can't find him." Jermaine stated.

We searched for ten more minutes and Clay and Raimundo even went outside in the pouring rain searching. I heard the door open and they returned without Danny. Before they closed the door, my phone rang once. I took it out of my pocket and opened the text message I received. "It's from Danny." I was confused, why would he send a text message. I began to read the message out loud:

_Guys,_

_If you're looking for me, just stop. In the end, this was my decision, not yours. The LAD has existed for too long, it's time to bring them down. If you're reading this, I'm sorry. I couldn't ask you guys to risk your lives fighting them, what kind of leader would I be then? Clay, I want you to take care of everyone. If things go wrong, if I don't make it out of this alive, I want you guys to get out of here, don't risk fighting. Finally, I want you guys to know that you've been the best friends somebody like me could ask for. Stay sharp, you never know what's around the corner._

_Thanks for everything,_

_-Danny_

My phone rang once again and I opened the next text I got, then pretended it was nothing. The others began to go out the door, but I stopped one person. "Raimundo, I need to talk to you."

He looked at me and saw the urgency in my eyes, then nodded. When the others were gone, I opened the other text message and handed my phone to Raimundo. He read the message and I saw his eyes fill with disbelief. "No, there's no way." His eyes began to water and he closed the phone and handed it back to me. "He's lying. It can't be true."

"I'm sorry, Rai." I stated sincerely.

He wiped away the tears in his eyes, "It doesn't matter right now. We just have to find him, maybe he'll explain..." Raimundo walked and stepped outside. He stopped and stood in the rain. Raimundo shook his head, trying to rid his jumbled thoughts.

***Raimundo***

I didn't want to believe it, but I knew it was most likely true. Danny was with the LAD when they murdered my mom. He was in my house when they killed her. I clenched my fist and thought of everything Danny had done for me. He gave me a home, friends... a life with what seemed like another family. However, the picture of my mom's dead body resurfaced in my mind. I wanted to scream, to tell the world that it wasn't true, but now wasn't the time. I wiped away the two tears the slipped down my face, "Find the others, but don't follow me."

"What are you going to do?" Kimiko asked me.

I looked at her, "I'm going to bring him back." I turned and began to run, the rain stinging my skin. I ran toward the one place I thought I would never return. The rain blinded me along with the flashes of lightning. Regardless, I continued to run as fast as I could. Eventually, the rain came down so hard that I couldn't see five feet in front of me. Briefly, I saw the headlights of a car and heard the blare of a horn as I nearly ran into it. I ran into a fence and held onto it for a moment, trying to figure out where I was.

A loud noice echoed in the distance. Some people would mistake it for thunder, but I knew better. After all, after living with the LAD for years, it was hard to mistake a gunshot for thunder. I turned toward the noise and began to run again. Another gunshot sounded, then another. Finally, I could only hear the rain coming down and the booming thunder.

I memorized the location of where I thought I heard the gunshot and found myself in a small alley surrounded by abandoned buildings. I cautiously walked forward, looking for any sign of a threat. Two figures laid a few feet apart, unmoving. I quickened my pace until I was finally able to identify the two figures. One was the LAD member Marcus and the other was Danny.

"Danny." I stated and crouched next to him, hardly able to see. When I put my hand on his shoulder, I felt something warm and sticky: blood. I strained my eyes and moved a little closer so I could see where the blood was coming from. In Danny's chest was two wounds and I noticed his breathing was sharp and shallow.I took off my wet shirt and done my best to tie the material around the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Then, I grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and tried to call an ambulance. Only then did I realize there was no signal and the storm probably messed up one of the cell phone towers. I cursed and gently picked my friend up.

"What's wrong Pedrosa, afraid of a little blood?" A voice said from the shadows.

Even though I recognized the voice, I couldn't place the name. "Go back and tell the Boss that-"

Another voice replied, "Why don't you just go ahead and tell me while I'm standing here?"

I turned to see the Boss himself. Once the rainfall began to decrease, I was able to see his face clearly. His face was contorted with rage and his eyes glowed with the thought of pain. I glared at him and found that I was no longer afraid of him.

The Boss smiled, "We're going to kill you, kid. You and Danny are going to suffer with every moment you're still alive, we'll make sure of that. Look at it this way, at least you'll get to see your mom on the other side."

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth while trying to find a way to escape. With Danny on the verge of death, I couldn't waste any time fighting. The only thing close to me was a fire escape, but I didn't think I could get Danny there by myself. Frustration began to course through my veins. To make things worse, more of the LAD members walked into the alley.

"Let's face it, Raimundo. You and Danny aren't getting out of this one alive. I told you, to leave the LAD is to die." The Boss grinned, "Kill them."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Never will I ever own Xiaolin Showdown.**

***Clay***

We continued to search in the pouring rain until we were unable to see clearly. Due to the rain, we returned to the house and waited for it to let up a little. Kimiko told us Raimundo had went to find the LAD, who most likely had Danny. Apparently, something more happened, but Kimiko refused to tell us any more and we didn't ask. Both Danny and Raimundo were apart of the LAD and agreed on one thing: nobody else was going to get hurt due to their past as LAD members. I wanted to help, we all did, but we didn't know how.

There was a knock on the door and Omi answered it, hoping it was Danny and Raimundo. However, it wasn't. "I can show you guys where Danny is." Robert stated, blood trickling from his nose. We all rushed over to him, but Robert shook his head, "No time to worry about me. The LAD has Danny. My gang tried to get him out, but we were outnumbered. The Rapiers have joined as LAD members. They're going to kill Danny, we have to get him out of there right now."

I nodded along with the others, "Let's go." I looked at Robert, "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

He smiled, "I'll be better once the fight starts. Follow me." He took off running into the rain with the rest of us behind him. I wondered how badly Robert's gang was injured, if Danny was okay, and where Rai was. We ran for a few more minutes until we reached a small alley and I saw a motionless figure on the ground.

We ran toward Danny's motionless body. Our leader was breathing, his chest barely rising and falling, a shirt wrapped around his chest. Kimiko tensed, "Clay, that's Raimundo's shirt."

Omi questioned, "Do you think Raimundo did this?"

Robert laughed, "Raimundo doesn't have the balls to kill someone."

Chloe glared at Robert, "How can you laugh when your friend is lying here bleeding to death?"

"Oh, don't worry, you guys will die along with your precious leader soon." Robert replied and looked toward the shadows.

A voice came from the darkness, "You done good for a newcomer, Robert." I whirled around and watched as the LAD leader stepped out of the shadows, triumph brightening his features. "It's amazing how somebody can turn on a friend, isn't it?"

"What do you want?" Jermaine asked, preparing for a fight.

The Boss laughed, "I want to make the two betrayers suffer. The only way that can truly happen is if I make everyone suffer." As soon as he said that, people entered the alleyway. I recognized LAD members, Rapiers, and even Robert's group. Anger rose inside me, but I knew if I attacked anyone, it would probably mark the death of me and my friends.

I heard somebody struggle and a body was shoved to the pavement, a bag was tied tightly around the person's head. Restraints held the person's arms and legs. The Boss kicked the person in the ribs, "I told you what would happen if you left. Welcome to Hell on Earth, kid."

"Boss, the thunderstorm is leaving. Perhaps we should take this somewhere else." Somebody replied.

The Boss nodded, "We don't want the police interrupting too quickly, do we? Restrain them." He looked at me, "If anybody resists, you will die." After he said that, I saw a bag traveling toward my head. A second later, it was hard to breathe and I couldn't see anything. My head hit the top of a car as I was shoved into the backseat with two other people.

I felt the car begin to move and I tried to think of a way out of this. However, I didn't come up with anything resulting in escaping with everybodys' lives intact. I also know that if we didn't move soon, we were definitely going to die. The person beside me continued to struggle with the restraints, but I knew he wouldn't be going anywhere. The barbed wire was wrapped tightly around my wrists and ankles, every movement made the barbs dig into my skin.

After we drove for about twenty minutes, we arrived to the place we were either going to die or be tortured. Either way, the destination was not a good place. I was hauled out of the car and the bag was pulled away from my head. I took in a deep breath, trying to get as much oxygen as I could. The others were on both sides of me and each knew not to struggle. My eyes continued to adjust to the headlights lighting the darkness. We were pretty far from the city on a bridge, far enough to where nobody could hear or see the violence about to occur.

Three members of the LAD pulled somebody out of the car, but the person was fighting. One of the LAD members was kicked in the face and he retaliated by stabbing the struggling person in the leg. A cry of pain was heard, but the person continued to struggle until the bag was off his head.

"Rai..." Kimiko began. His face was bloody and bruised, there was deep gashes all over his body, and a wound in his shoulder where a bullet grazed him. Regardless of his injuries, Raimundo continued to struggle. The LAD member swung downward with the knife.

The Boss yelled, "You idiot!" That was when I noticed the knife had cut through the barbed wire when Raimundo raised his legs to block the attack. In a blink of an eye, the three LAD members flew backward. Raimundo rose to his feet, waiting for an attack. He crouched down to get a knife lying on the ground and he picked it up, then placed it between his teeth so he could cut through the barbed wire. He grabbed the knife in his hand and held it firmly. The Boss looked at the other members, "What are you doing? Get him!"

"Let them go, now! This is between me and you, don't drag them into this!" Raimundo yelled at the Boss.

The Boss laughed, "Do you think you can beat us? You're outnumbered."

"I didn't say anything about winning. If you let them take Danny and leave, I'll surrender without a fight." Raimundo stated.

"If I don't allow that to happen?" The Boss questioned.

Raimundo's eyes raged with a fire I had never seen in anybody before, "I'll kill you."

The Boss looked at us, then back to Raimundo, "I'd rather kill all of you." He commanded to his members, "Torture him as much as you want."

The first wave of enemies charged toward Raimundo, who stayed in the same place for a moment. When a knife began it's journey toward his stomach, Raimundo dodged to the side and punched the attacker in the face, then grabbed his arm and threw the opponent into the wall of enemies. Three people attacked him at once, but all three found themselves on the ground in just a few seconds from a series of attacks. A few of the attacking members hesitated. The Boss ordered, "Attack him altogether!" At that order, Raimundo disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

I struggled to loosen the bonds restricting my wrists and ankles; I noticed the others were doing the same. After a few minutes, I realized the barbed wire wasn't as tight, but it still refused to break or loosen enough. Nobody was paying attention to us and I whispered in Sandra's ear, "Get my knife from my pocket." She nodded her head in understanding and turned to where she could reach into my pocket. She grabbed the knife, opened it, and began to cut through the barbed wire on her wrists, then her ankles.

When Sandra was released completely, she cut the wire from my wrists and ankles. The sound of the gunshot made my ears ring. Silence followed it and I tried to see who was shot, a feeling of dread rested in my gut. The crowd began to break up and the Boss walked into the middle of the crowd, then grabbed the person lying on the ground in a pool of blood by the shirt collar. "You should have known there was no way you were going to win, Raimundo. It would have been easier if you had just died by the river. Your friends are going to die because of you. As for your mother, you should have heard her scream as she was dying. It was-"

"Shut up." Raimundo growled and somehow managed to pick up the Boss, then slammed him against the side of the bridge. Stunned, the Boss barely had time to catch Raimundo's fist before it slammed into his nose. I watched as the Boss pulled a long knife from his belt and stabbed it into Raimundo's stomach. A small thud echoed as Raimundo's body fell to the ground facedown, motionless with blood pooling around him.

"Rai..." One of my friends began, but were too shocked to say more. I heard one of the girls begin to cry.

Sirens from police cars screamed in the distance. The Boss laughed and turned away from the body with a grin on his face. None of us replied, we were too shocked. The Boss held the knife against Jermaine's throat, "I know two of you have your hands free. If you move, I'll kill him." Sandra and I did not move, there was nothing else we could do. If we moved, he'd kill Jermaine then finish the rest of us off. The Boss looked at us, "Since the police have decided to come, we're taking this party somewhere else. If you don't fight, then I'll consider killing you quickly."

We were shoved into vehicles again and raced away. I looked back in an attempt to see if either Danny or Raimundo were moving, but I only saw the shadowy outline of their motionless bodies. The gang was being eliminated, wiped out one by one. With that thought, I only wondered one thing. Who was going to be next?

***Raimundo***

Pain. Agony. Defeat. Anger Fear. Sadness. Failure. All of those emotions resided in my heart. My lungs burned like they were coated with acid, I could barely breathe. Blood pooled out around me, too much blood. I knew it was over for me, I was dying. I had reached my limit. In the end, I couldn't defeat the LAD, avenge my mother's death, and save my friends. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't. I was too weak, to naive to think I could actually win the fight. It was over. Everyone I had ever cared about was gone and there was no way I could get them back.

Maybe it was better this way. If I died, then maybe everything would stop. Nobody else would get hurt. No, the LAD will continue to kill people even after I die. They will recruit more innocent people, use them, then throw them to the side in a body bag. No, this was going to continue. It was my fault everyone got involved. My fault, my fault... I should have protected everyone. I should have never became friends with Danny and the others. If I hadn't, Danny wouldn't be hurt, probably dead by now, and the others wouldn't have to go through pure Hell. All because of me.

Breathe. I had to breathe. The sirens came closer, then made a left turn, away from where Danny and I were. I hoped they would come back, but they didn't. I tried to move, but the pain held my body captive, it wouldn't allow me to move. A small whimper escaped my lips as I tried to get to my knees. I looked over at Danny and noticed he was still alive, but barely breathing. I wanted to help, but I couldn't even help myself. Who did I think I was? I wasn't a mutant or superhero. I was only human and humans are not indestructible. _It's over._


End file.
